Shoulder harness



ay 4, w. LAMBERT 294419115 SHOULDER HARNESS Filed April 26, 1946Patented May 4, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT GEPFHQE" SHOULDER HARNESSWalter Lambert, Yakima, Wash.

Application April 26, 1946, Serial No. 665,077

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates broadly to apparel apparatus, and more particularlyto a shoulder harness arranged to support a container for facilitatingthe picking and gathering of vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc., and thesowing of grain or broadcasting of commercial fertilizers.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction ofshoulder harness which may be readily supported about the shoulders of awearer for symmetrically distributing the weight of a load evenly overthe shoulders of the wearer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of shoulderharness including a belt portion and a pair of shoulder portions whichmay be detachably connected to a centrally arranged hook-shaped deviceadapted to detach ably support a container adapted to receivevegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, commercial fertilizers, etc., whichmay be picked or scattered by the wearer, whose arms are left freeforsuch functions.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simplifiedconstruction of apparel apparatus in which a' single length of beltingmay be so adjusted around the shoulders of a wearer as to symmetricallysupport a container in a convenient position for filling the container,the arms of the wearer being left free for picking operations when theshoulder harness is used in the picking of vegetables, fruits, nuts,etc., or the sowing of grain or broadcasting of commercial fertilizers.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the simplifiedconstruction of shoulder harness as set forth in the followinspecification and referred to in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows the shoulder harness of my invention supported by theshoulders of a wearer and supporting a bucket or container in position;Fig. 2 is a rear view of the shoulder harness represented in Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is an elevational view showing the harness of my inventionassembled in a. position to be supported by the shoulders of a wearer;Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the shoulder harness inextended-position and illustrating the engaging hooks at each endthereof; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hook device employed on theshoulder harness of my inventi-on; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional viewtaken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a view similarto the view shown in Fig. 6 but showing a bucket supported by theharness and illustrating the displacea-ble hook device for maintaining aloaded bucket in operative position without tilting independently of theposition of the wearer of the shoulder harness.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character I designatesthe webbing 01' belt of fabric, leather or other suitable materialconstitut-' ing the shoulder harness of my invention. The shoulderharness l is formed from a single strip of material which is loopedaround the body of the wearer immediately below the chest and the endsof the belt-like strip extend over the shoulders of the wearer indiagonally opposite directions. Each end of the belt-like strip orwebbing l is provided with an adjusting loop 2 and 3 thereon whichextends back upon the belt or webbing. The adjustin loops 2 and 3terminate in clamping clasps designated at 4 and 5, enabling theshoulder harness to be adjusted to fit the body size of any wearerwithin the limits of the length of the belt I. The adjustable loops 2and 3 of the belt 6 pass through and support the hooks 6 and l at theopposite ends of the belt I. The hooks 5 and I are provided with springsnap members which detachably secure the hooks 6 and i adjacent theopposite corners 8 andt of the rectangular-shaped coupling member it.The rectangular-shaped coupling member It forms a loop; the corners 8and 9 of which provide symmetrical connection means for the detachablehooks B and l on the opposite ends of the belt I. The side of thecoupling member In, which is disposed opposite the corners 8 and 9 andwhich is represented at H, extends through the bifurcated member I2. Thebifurcated looped member I2 is formed from material such as sheet metal,leather, synthetic plastic, fabric or other form of webbing folded uponitself with the surface extending in parallel engagement with eachother, as represented at M and I5, and folded to provide a pivotalconnection at spaced positions l5 and I! with the side ll of the loop[0.

The co-extensive parallel portions of the bifurcated looped member 12are rigid or otherwise secured to the webbing I by suitable spacedrivets l8, I9, 20, and 2|, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. It will beobserved that the bifurcated looped member I2 is disposed substantiallycentrally of the opposite ends of the webbing with hook members 6 and 1on the terminating ends of the web I. The bifurcated portion of thelooped member I2 is represented at 22, and within this spaced distancebetween the spaced portions I6 and I1, I pivotally support the hookmember 23. The hook member 23 has an upper offset portion 24 which isjournalled on the side ll of the coupling member Ill The ofiset portion24 serves to space the book 23 in an oifset plane with respect to theplane of the bifurcated looped member l2, as shown more clearly in Fig.6. Hook member 23 depends downwardly from the offset end portion 24 andterminates in a hook 25. The material of the depending hook member 23 isout struck at 26 to provide a yieldable tongue 21 which is continuouslyurged against the terminus of hook 25 for maintaining the hook closed.

The bucket orpail 28, having supporting handle 29 is supported byengagement of handle 29 in hook 25. Tongue 21 yields sufiiciently toallow handle 21 to be engaged over the hook 25 and then returns tonormally secured position for preventing slippage of the handle 29 outof the hook 25.

The shoulder harness is very effective in use in that the hook member 23is permitted to swing to any angular position to accommodate thebucket28 as represented in Fig. 7. The bucket 28 is thus maintained in ahorizontal position independently of the position of the body of thewearer, as represented at 30. The wearer is able to move freely and tohave full use of the arms without hindrance of the carrying of thebucket or pail 28. If the wearer moves from one position to another, thehook member 23 may be adjusted in any angular positionfor properlysupporting the container 28 while maintaining the container in asubstantially horizontal position,

The shoulder harness has proven very eifective in use in that it isinexpensive in manufacture on a mass production basis. The harnessinvolves but a small number of parts which are so arranged that theweight of the bucket and contents are symmetrically disposed withrespect to the shoulders of the wearer. The shoulder harness has beeneffectively employed by me for many uses, including the picking andgathering of vegetables. fruits, nuts, etc, and the sowing of grain andseed, and: the broadcasting of commercial. fertilizers, all of which maybe accomplished without hindrance to'the free use of the arms by virtueof the support of the bucket provided by'theshoulder harness.

While I have. described my invention in one of its.preferredembodiments,I realize that modiflcations may be made in the details of constructionof the harness and I intend no limitations upon my invention other thanmay be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is as follows:

1. A shoulder harness for supporting a container substantially centrallyof the body of a wearer comprising a belt having a spring fastener oneach end thereof and a substantially flat plate member folded uponitself and secured to said belt in a position intermediate the ends ofsaid 3 belt, a loop swiveled in said substantially flat plate member, ahook swiveled on said loop immediately adjacent said flat member, saidbelt being extendible diagonally over the shoulders of the wearer, thespring fasteners on the ends ing in the direction of said belt and beingbifurcated for the reception of a swiveled hook, a looped member passingthrough the opening in said relatively flat member and through the swiveled hook, said looped member providing a cou pling means for engagementby the detachable snap hooks on the ends of said belt when said belt isdiagonally looped over the shoulders of the wearer.

WALTER LAJMBERT.

lhe following references are of record in the his of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEEITS Number Name Date 1,198,602 Sweeney Sept, 19 19161,689,051

Richardson Oct. 23, 1928

